20 TT students get Arthur Ashe Institute internships

Twenty TT students will participate in a virtual edition of a summer internship with the US-based Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH).

The internship will be done in collaboration with Amcham TT and the US Embassy in Port of Spain. The programme is an adaptation of the institute’s Brooklyn-based health disparities programme for high school students in New York, and has been primarily funded by the US Embassy.

The TT students will receive training on an array of topics, including sustainable development, and will conduct research projects in collaboration with local organisations. The participating organisations for this year’s programme include the Cropper Foundation, the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), Restore a Sense of I Can and UNESCO (Tobago).

This is the first year that the programme will be conducted virtually. To accommodate this transition, students will be provided with laptops to be used during the five-week programme.

Public affairs officer Naureen Nalia expressed support for the programme, stating “The US Embassy has been proud to support the Arthur Ashe Institute’s summer internship programme since 2012. Providing a new generation of young men and women with opportunities to develop their professional skills will help them when they join the labour force and is just one more example of the great partnership the United States and TT share.

As a 2013 Fulbright research specialist scholar, the institute’s CEO, Dr Marilyn Fraser, has led the last five iterations of the internship in Trinidad, partnering with the University of the West Indies, the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, Amcham TT, the US Embassy and many NGOs. The programme’s lecturers, all of whom are volunteers, include community leaders, advocates, and faculty members.

Over the past years, more than 90 TT students gained practical knowledge and experience in collaborative advocacy involving their peers, mentors, and local organisations. “Being from the Caribbean and recognising the effects on the Caribbean workforce when skilled individuals may leave the Caribbean, creating subsequent ‘brain drain’, I am even more cognisant of the importance of giving back and providing opportunities that will help to develop the workforce and prepare the next generation of Caribbean leaders,” said Fraser.

This year’s internship will expose TT students to advocacy and entrepreneurial work done by four local organisations as they build research and professional skills through a five-week curriculum. “We have a wonderful group of students. Amidst everything that is going on in the world, our partners were enthusiastic about providing students with this unique educational opportunity. Given our current covid19 pandemic, having conversations regarding sustainable development is even more important,” said Fraser.

Amcham TT president Patricia Ghany said the programme’s virtual platform is ideal to push the digital transformation agenda while helping students to remain safe and affording them an opportunity to grow by gaining valuable work experience. “We have been promoting the need for digital transformation to introduce new opportunities for business and reliable services to benefit citizens. This year’s virtual internship will allow students to work remotely and help to create an even more diverse work environment through different geographical settings. This way students need not worry about fears associated with covid19 while still acquiring skills that will positively contribute to their future growth and development.”

Philip Sookhai, of UNESCO Tobago, said the programme has contributed to the holistic development of previous participants.

“It has provided an opportunity for young adults to meet, interact and share ideas with persons of their own age from outside Tobago.

Ideas that may sometimes vary and not always be cohesive; encouraging them to learn and accept that persons from different cultural, economic and social backgrounds may not always agree but can find ways to respect and work together amidst these differences, fostering in them unity and promoting peace.”